Chuck E. Cheese stabbing was gang-related, Leominster police say

Monday

Jan 28, 2013 at 9:00 PMJan 28, 2013 at 9:11 PM

By Paula J. Owen TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

A 24-year-old Fitchburg man was arraigned today in Leominster District Court in connection with what police believe was a gang-related stabbing inside a crowded Chuck E. Cheese restaurant Sunday afternoon at the Mall at Whitney Field.

Isaac T. Ramos, 24,185 Mechanic St., Apt. 1-L, Fitchburg, was being held in lieu of $5,000 cash bail in the Worcester House of Correction on charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and disorderly conduct.

It was around 3:15 p.m. inside the national restaurant chain — which is geared toward young children, and in advertising says it is a place “where a kid can be a kid” — when two men in their 20s got into brawl.

Mr. Ramos and Cesar A. Alicea-Romero, 23, 59 Merriam Ave., Apt. 3, Leominster, started punching each other, fell to the floor and knocked down young children, according to court documents.

Sometime during the altercation, Mr. Ramos stabbed Mr. Alicea-Romero in the biceps with a 3-inch-long folding knife, police said.

Police said around 250 to 300 adults and children were inside playing arcade games and riding small amusement rides, some celebrating their children’s birthdays.

According to a police report, when police arrived, Mr. Alicea-Romero’s father had already taken him to HealthAlliance Hospital — Leominster Campus, where he was treated for the wound and released.

An employee told police Mr. Ramos was still inside the restaurant with a little girl, court documents said.

“We then walked around a couple of games, rides and numerous people to get to (Mr. Ramos) due to the nature of the call and we didn’t know if (Mr. Ramos) was still armed, so I had my department-issued Taser deployed behind my left leg in case (Mr. Ramos) made a sudden violent gesture towards us,” Officer Michael Kochanski wrote in his report.

Police said they found Mr. Ramos holding his daughter in his arms in a back corner of the restaurant and told him to hand the child off, but he did not react immediately. When police again yelled for him to put the child down, Mr. Ramos’ family stood between him and police, court documents said.

His family continued to block Mr. Ramos after police ordered them to move. Police then pushed a woman out of the way, one of his family members took his daughter and Mr. Ramos was arrested and brought out to the police cruiser, court documents said.

His sisters then came out of the restaurant yelling at officers and calling them racists, court documents said.

“While walking Isaac out of Chuck E. Cheese, I told Officer Thomas and Officer Fraher to watch our backs because the family members that we dealt with were very angry and hostile to us,” Officer Kochanski wrote. “It was unknown what they might do to us while walking Isaac out.”

All customers who were not witnesses were evacuated from the restaurant, and police stretched a yellow police line around the entrance and blood on the sidewalk. The restaurant was closed for the rest of the day, court documents said.

Mr. Ramos told police he was there for a birthday party with his daughter when Mr. Alicea-Romero came up to him and started hitting him, court documents said.

The men were acquaintances, Mr. Ramos told police, and Mr. Alicea-Romero had beaten and stabbed him a few years ago.

Mr. Ramos said Mr. Alicea-Romero came over to him and said, “Remember me? I am going to kill you in front of your family today,” court documents said.

Police could not immediately interview Mr. Alicea-Romero because he does not speak English, but were furnished with video taken inside the restaurant during the ordeal, court documents said.

That video showed Mr. Ramos next to his daughter, who was riding a mechanical horse, when Mr. Alicea-Romero came up to him and started flashing what looked to police like gang signs. The brawl was out of view of the camera, but the video shows Mr. Ramos returning to stand near his daughter.

Mr. Ramos is due back in court Feb. 4 for a pretrial hearing.

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